When a restaurant folds, we do a lot of brainwork tying that failure to sloppy service or flat food.

And how many times has blame been hooked on a bad location? One spot in Hillcrest was such a horror, with so many restaurant concepts turning and burning through the property, the new owners buried a curse-removing voodoo doll under their deck. (That was Empire House, established in 2011. They still endure.)

We rarely reflect on the steadfast restaurants that weather hard times, kitschy décor trends and low-carb-diet manias. So in the age of short-lived restaurants (Gingham; Hubcap; Sora), let’s give the podium to the county’s longest-serving restaurants: The youngest is 50 years old. The oldest predates World War II.

Check them off your dining list and maybe, after you’ve visited all of these tenacious businesses, you’ll understand what’s deeply rooted in San Diego’s taste buds-- namely our abiding love for comfort food.

Peking Restaurant

Serving egg foo yung since Herbert Hoover was president, this affordable restaurant is divided by booths and attended by the cheerful Fong family. Go here for old-school Cantonese dishes and contentment.

Waterfront Bar

Prohibition went down in flames, and this tavern rose from the ashes. Now the always-lively Waterfront is more than just a reliable eggs-and-hash-browns dealer by day, quarter-pounder griller by night. It’s like a storied community center that sells great beer.

Las Cuatro Milpas is crowded starting at 10 a.m. and often has a line going out the door.— John Gastaldo

+Read Caption

Las Cuatro Milpas is crowded starting at 10 a.m. and often has a line going out the door.
— John Gastaldo

Las Cuatro Milpas

This is destination dining. Authentic. Homely in its design, yes, but worth waiting in lines for those pudgy tamales, steamy bowls of chorizo, hearty carnitas, fresh tortillas and whatever else this cafeteria-style operation has on its Mom’s-kitchen-Mexican menu. Bring cash.

Tobey's 19th Hole Cafe

Not what you'd expect for the tee-time set, Tobey's is an unexpected, greasy spoon with a view of the golf course. The menu is a time capsule, with egg dishes, turkey dinners, corned-beef hash and Bloody Marys.

The Chicken Pie Shop

Est. 1938

2633 El Cajon Blvd., North Park. (619) 295-0156.

An all-ages dining hall that’s occupied this spot since 1990, the Shop is good for hipsters who ironically eat Jell-O or fixed-income diners who seriously eat chicken livers. The signature pot pie, a blend of chicken and turkey, comes with tranquil sides for $7.95.

El Indio

Est. 1940

3695 India St., Mission Hills. (619) 299-0333 or el-indio.com

It made its name with its taquito invention (rolled, deep-fried tacos with guacamole, lettuce, cheese and salsa). And their tortilla chips might one day be used as a form of currency.

Café La Maze

Est. 1941

1441 Highland Ave., National City. (619) 474-3222 or cafelamaze.com

The old steakhouse-to-the-stars has seen glitzier days, but you will still take delight from its old-Hollywood feel (deep circular booths; prime rib with horseradish and au jus).

Anthony’s Fish Grotto

Est. 1946

1360 N. Harbor Drive, downtown. (619) 232-5103 or gofishanthonys.com

Family vacationers put this bayfront seafood house on their over-full agenda, say “Eat your french fries or I’ll spank your bottom,” to kid diners, and pay $17.50 for this local chain’s fried fish-and-chips platter.

The "original combo" with a turkey taco and a cheese enchilada rice and beans on Thursday at Tony's Jacal Mexican restaurant in Solana Beach.— Eduardo Contreras

+Read Caption

The "original combo" with a turkey taco and a cheese enchilada rice and beans on Thursday at Tony's Jacal Mexican restaurant in Solana Beach.
— Eduardo Contreras

Red Tracton’s

While it actually opened in Los Angeles in 1948, and Solana Beach in the '80s, it boasts a longtime menu and lifetime after-the-racetrack fans. There, a keyboard artist tinkles out tunes in the bustling lounge. In the main dining room, there’s horse-racing décor. Tables are topped with Alaska king crab legs, filet mignon, twice-baked potatoes and lemon drop cocktails. And the hard-nosed waitresses are used to you wild after-the-racetrack types.

Filippi’s Pizza Grotto

Est. 1949

1747 India St., Little Italy. (619) 232-5094 or realcheesepizza.com

Head to the back of a market, park your elbows on the red-checkered-tablecloth, note the Chianti bottles overhead, then devour ravioli, spaghetti, lasagna and pizza. Originally D’Filippi’s, this is the first Filippi’s location.

Rudford's

Est. 1949

2900 El Cajon Blvd., North Park. (619) 282-8423 or rudfords.com

A true Denny's-alternative. And this 24-hour diner is welcoming to tuna-melt lovers of modest means, to diners who actually seek out liver and onions, and to anyone who finds old-fashioned food in a silver-walled restaurant a bit exotic.

Grant Grill

Mahogany wood-paneled and refined, the Grill’s gourmet, New American menu (California sea bass; sweetbreads; Niman Ranch pork cheeks) and craft cocktails make it the most high-reaching venue on this over-50 list.

Red Sails Inn Restaurant

Shelter Island and shellfish, a casual match and a long-running institution. Boaters come up from their floating homes for bacon-wrapped scallops, Crab Louie salads, calamari sandwiches and swimming in cocktails.

Napoleones Pizza House

Lackluster looks (checkered floor; crooked paintings on the wall; a high-school hangout feel). But growly singer Tom Waits worked at this family pizza joint, then immortalized Napoleones in song. And the placid pizza maker Peter Crivello can be seen in the open kitchen assembling smooth-and-spicy meatballs for a heartwarming hamburger pie ($6.75 small, $11 large).

Harry’s Coffee Shop

There’s a breakfast/lunch wait for tables on weekends. So snag a free stool at the counter alongside college kids and La Jolla homeowners for French toast, buttery hash browns, thick Canadian bacon, fluffy biscuits, generous milkshakes, cheery waitresses and a folksy experience.

Larry Tomicich owner of Old Trieste restaurant in Bay Park. — David Brooks

+Read Caption

Larry Tomicich owner of Old Trieste restaurant in Bay Park.
— David Brooks

Old Trieste

This neighborhood spot is what would happen if Sinatra’s ghost got a business loan, imported tiramisu from Italy, made cannelloni from scratch and did Italian surf-and-turf dishes in a humble but noble setting.